


Would You Rather?

by MikeWritesThings (orphan_account)



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: America is a rich douchebag, Castration, Child Murder, Electrocution, Games, Gen, Genital Torture, Gore, Gun Violence, Horror, I do not approve of any methods used in this book, If anybody actually uses any of the game questions in real life what the hell, Mind Games, Molestation, Murder, Psychological Horror, Suicide, Would You Rather?, multiple character death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-12
Updated: 2016-07-10
Packaged: 2018-07-14 13:20:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7173491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/MikeWritesThings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lili Zwingli and 11 other struggling strangers are invited to a rich entrepreneur's house to play a game. They are locked inside, with no escape.</p><p>The winner of the game walks away, alive, with enough money and support to handle their problems for years.</p><p>The losers are eliminated.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Lili did not know when it had been decided that she would be the one taking care of Basch.

It'd always been the other way around. He and his parents took her in when she was nine and he, fourteen, and fed her, clothed her, enrolled her in school. Basch had kept her company while his parents worked long nights, and he'd made her soup when she was sick and helped her with her homework. And he'd done it with all his effort. Despite being poor, and struggling, and often spending nights hot or cold because they had to turn the A/C or the heat off, to save money. Basch's parents died in a plane wreck when he was sixteen, and he'd done all he could to continue to support her now that regular income had stopped.

They'd barely managed to keep their house, with considerable help from Basch's friend Roderich (which he was reluctant to admit to) but now, he couldn't work, and Lili was doing all she could to keep them alive. He was sick. He needed a heart transplant.

That would not come easy.

Lili wasn't old enough to work yet, so she spent all the time she could babysitting, mowing lawns, and yes, embarrassingly, panhandling. Roderich was in college, and could only help her so much with a monthly envelope filled with as much cash as he could spare (usually it was two to three hundred dollars).

Lili nearly stopped attending school to panhandle and work more, but Basch insisted that she go. He set up an Etsy service where they knitted scarves and sweaters (They both knew how to do this from Mrs. Zwingli) and made some money off of that.

But not enough.

Not enough to get Basch a new heart, not enough to pay a hospital bill, and now they were in debt, and Lili was _desperate_.

Which was how she found herself keeping in contact with a friend Roderich's, a _very_ young doctor who was patient enough to answer her questions and offer her words of encouragement.

Matthew Williams was a nice, friendly young man who'd been a doctor for almost a year, barely twenty one and having graduated medical school when he was nineteen after managing to finish high school at fourteen. He was eager to help people out and was willing to suggest things for Lili to help her make money for Basch.

It was a warm Friday evening when Matthew called her, and told her of an opportunity, and to come to the clinic _instantly_.

* * *

Alfred was very friendly.

"If you win, you could get enough money to set you for life," He grinned, spreading his hands, "You and your brother could both go to college, no debt. We could arrange instantly for a heart transplant. No waiting lists, none."

"But..." Lili looked from Matthew to Alfred, feeling small and nervous, "What happens if I lose the game?"

"Then, you just lose!" Alfred knelt down in front of Lili, smiling widely at her, "I love helping people, Lili. And, I really love games! What's more fun than combining them together?"

Lili glanced at Matthew, who was nodding encouragingly, also smiling at her. They both had the same face, height, and build, which led to Lili's next question--

"Are you guys twins?"

Alfred blinked, before grinning, and Matthew threw his head back and laughed.

"Yeah, but don't tell anyone," Alfred put his fingers to his lips, "Nobody can know."

"I won't tell," Lili said, but she thought it was sort of obvious. The same face. She wondered how she hadn't noticed before. Lili looked down at the card in her hand, with Alfred's phone number written on it. Should she really? She didn't know Alfred, but she knew Matthew, and he said it was perfectly okay...

Lili looked back up, directing her attention to Matthew.

"Are you sure? Is this safe?"

Matthew knelt down as well, so he was face to face with her.

"I did it before," Matthew told her, "Three years ago, battling lung cancer. Alfred saved my life."

Lili raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"He wouldn't help out his own brother?"

"We sort of hated each other back then," Alfred interjected, "He lived in Canada with our dad as a med school student, and I was here enjoying being a young millionaire."

Lili closed her eyes and took a deep breath, imagining winning the game. She'd come home with the money, and they'd get Basch a heart transplant, and then he could go to college with Roderich and all his other friends, and Lili could continue school and graduate, and they'd have no debts to worry about, no endless unpaid hospital bills. And she'd be taking care of Basch. She'd be repaying him.

It tugged at her heart. She was a bit uncertain. But she had to do this. For Basch. So he could live.

Lili opened her eyes to find the patient faces of Matthew and Alfred staring back at her, and Lili took a breath before nodding,

"I'll do it."

"Great!" Alfred straightened up, shaking her hand, before turning to Matthew, "Great! Thank you both."

"No," Lili said, smiling back, "Thank _you_."

* * *

"Lung cancer, that's new," Alfred chortled long after the clinic had closed, "What happened to leukemia? Or the broken toe?"

"Shut up," Matthew rolled his eyes, "It was just a little easier to convince her than the average. She didn't even ask why she has to meet in front of the house."

"Yeah, well," Alfred tipped his head back, staring at the ceiling, "I wish I had a little forewarning about this. What happened about not including more than one of your patients in this?"

"She's not my patient, so she most likely won't be associated with me if she loses," Matthew pointed out, before crossing his arms, "I'm surprised you even allowed her. Too young and too innocent."

"The young and innocent ones always hold the best surprises," Alfred grinned at him, "But who's she going to tell, anyways? She doesn't have enough time to tell any friends, and she probably won't tell Basch."

"Why wouldn't she? She tells him everything," Matthew sighed, sitting down in his chair. He studied Alfred on the side couch, fiddling with the threads on the cushion.

"Basch is protective of her, judging from everything she's said," Alfred lazily turned his head to grin at him, "No way she'll tell him, it'll give him an opportunity to stop her. She knows that. She wants to help him. So she'll do it in secret."

"I hate it when you do that," Matthew grumbled, "You act stupid and then you're smart again."

"It's not me being smart," Alfred set the cushion down, before standing up, "Psychology. I may have failed that course, but I _still_ remember a few things."

"Shocking," Matthew muttered, before raising his voice, "Please don't leave any blood stains on the dining room floor this time. I had to explain them to Gilbert on our date that I had a bloody nose from getting punched. It was embarrassing."

"Ahh, Gilbert," Alfred sighed, before straightening his jacket. Matthew did not like his tone of voice.

"What?"

"Nothing," Alfred shook his head before raising his voice, "What about the patient? Can't be bothered to remember her name."

"Linh," Matthew answered, pocketing his pens and clearing off his desk for the night. He didn't like his brother's answer of 'nothing', but he decided to let it drop. For now. "She's usually a bit expressionless. A thousand bucks says you can't make her scream."

"I'll double it to two thousand that I can make her scream _and_ cry," Alfred thumped his twin on the back, before walking to the door, humming happily, content with his thoughts.

He had his contestants. He had everything ready.

He was ready to play the game.

Alfred stepped out into the night, where a sleek black car was waiting for him. It was much more convenient to be driven around than driving himself. He did love cars, but they were often subjected to getting keyed (as they were usually nice and expensive; perfect victims) and as he considered his collection of cars his own children, he decided to just have someone else drive him in a generic black car.

Sliding into the passenger's seat (he didn't like being in the back) Alfred glanced towards Arthur, who was tapping his fingers on the steering wheel.

"Ten minutes longer than you said you'd be," Arthur said in an annoyed voice, "Would it kill you to be on time, for once in your rich, spoiled life?"

"No, because that would be no fun," Alfred smiled at the angry blond before leaning over and pecking him on the cheek, "You're the only one besides Mattie who can talk to me like that."

"It is both a blessing and a curse," Arthur muttered, before starting the car, "My brothers are all ready."

"Great," Alfred rubbed his hands eagerly together, "Also, the red-haired one--"

"Cameron."

"--yeah, him, tell him not to get so violent this time, alright?" Alfred rolled down his window as the car pulled out of the clinic parking lot, and they drove onto the highway, "Bullets are actually very expensive."

"Shut up, you stupid rich millionaire," Arthur rolled his eyes, and Alfred smiled once again.

* * *

 

Lili did not tell Basch where she was really going or why. No way he would allow her to do what she was doing now.

"I'm going over to Greta's," Lili told Basch as she stood in front of him carefully chopping carrots. He blinked at her, before saying,

"What?"

"I'm going to Greta's. I might be staying the night," Lili managed to lie smoothly, but her finger nervously played with a strand of blond hair, and Basch looked back down at his carrots before asking,

"What will you be doing?"

"Oh, pizza," Lili made up on the spot, before biting her lip, "And bowling. For fun. Is that okay with you?"

Basch set down his knife, closing his eyes, sighing, and opening them.

"Okay," He said, before turning and giving her a tight hug, "Okay. Good. Have fun, please."

"I will," Lili nodded against his shoulder, and she could feel his faint, shaky heartbeat against her own chest, and it made her fingers tighten on his arms, "I'll be back by eight if I do spend the night, I promise."

"No," Basch told her as he pulled away, "You can be home by noon. As long as you're having fun. But no later than twelve thirty. Okay?"

"Okay," Lili nodded.

* * *

The house that belonged to the address scrawled on the business card looked abandoned, old, and creepy, so Lili sat down on the curb and waited for somebody to come, as Alfred had said they would. Her knees were drawn to her chest, and she rested her head on them. She had managed to find one of her older, nicer dresses tucked in the back of her closet, soft purple and just a little too short--it was supposed to be knee-length, but it was nearly an inch or so above her knees. Still, it didn't wrinkle in odd places or constrict her tightly, and it was much nicer than anything else she owned, so she wore it along with a jacket Basch had made her on her thirteenth birthday.

The night was cold and wet, and more than once she had to swat a mosquito away from her arms. The only lights that illuminated the night were three yellow lamps, one which was flickering, and the silvery glow of the moon. Lili waited for almost ten minutes in the muggy night, hugging her knees to herself, when a dark car came rolling down the street, the night sky devoid of stars. Standing up, Lili glanced around. The street was empty.

The car stopped, and a man much taller than her with red hair stepped out of it, dressed in a crisp suit with a pack of cigarettes sticking out of one of his pockets. He looked rather uncomfortable in his suit.

"Lili Zwingli?" He asked in a strong accent, which Lili could not identify, and she nodded. She felt very nervous as he opened the door to the back seat, saying, "In you go, lass."

The car ride was longer than Lili had thought it would be. Nearly an hour, and night had really fallen then.  Lili occasionally glanced up front to see that the man's green eyes were fixed on her, intense and unblinking, and she'd glance away.

Her fists tightened nervously in her lap, and she felt her heart pound against her rib cage. Her heart, strong and steady, continuous in it's flow. She remember that Basch's had never felt like that. It had always been a little weaker than her own, but still steady and consistent. Over the past year, it was getting weaker. Inconsistent. He'd had to go to the hospital twice. Lili suddenly regretted leaving him by himself for the night. What if something else bad happened? What if he needed her, but couldn't reach her?

He'd call Greta's parents and find out that no, Lili hadn't really gone to her house, and then he'd panic, and he'd call the police, and stress himself out, and...

"We are here," The man said, and Lili came back to reality with a _thump_. The car rolled smoothly onto a long driveway, and the man stopped the engine and stepped out. Lili took a deep breath as she herself stepped out of the car, thinking to herself that everything would be fine, and she shouldn't think about it too hard.

The red-haired man locked the car behind her, before turning away, walking towards a huge house--no, _mansion_ \--as it began to rain lightly. Lili followed him, fists clenched at her sides.

"Welcome," The man said as he led her up the steps, and there seemed to be a laugh hidden within his accented voice, "To the Jones manor."


	2. Chapter Two

The inside of the mansion was large and sparsely decorated, which made Lili wonder why. Alfred had seemed like an energetic man who would no doubt invest his money in things like iron-clad knights, or at least a few posters, and Matthew's own office was decorate very nicely. So why was the mansion so bare?

"This way," The man said, and led her to a room off to the side. The inside of it contained only a few couches, a rug, and a cabinet full of what seemed to be alcohol. There were already many people inside.

"The eleventh guest has arrived," The man said, opening the door wide for Lili to enter. She felt many pairs of eyes train upon her, and for a moment she considered turning around and leaving. She was the youngest one here.

"Sweet," A woman nearby with wavy brown hair said. She was grinning at Lili, and unlike most of the guests, was dressed very casually--a flannel T-shirt and jeans.

The red-haired man closed the door behind Lili, and she shivered at the cold draft of air that followed.

"That guy gives me the creeps," Commented a brown-haired boy sitting on one of the couches who seemed to only be a few years older than her. He stood up, stretching his arms, before shaking his hair out of his hair and holding his hand out to her. Lili reached out hesitantly and shook it.

"I'm Leon," He said, before the brown-haired woman from before elbowed him out of the way, smirking.

"Don't prey on young girls, Leon, you'll only scare her away," She teased, before flipping her hair over her shoulder and patting Lili's shoulder, "I'm Elizabeta."

"I'm not, like, preying on any _girls_ ," Leon remarked, fidgeting with the ends of his suit--it was clear he was uncomfortable with it, "Boys are my style, Liz."

"You learn something new about people every minute," Elizabeta booped him on the nose, before turning to Lili, who had been standing there, unsure of what to do, "So, what's your name and story?"

"What?" Lili blinked. Elizabeta leaned against the cabinet full of alcohol, before saying,

"You know, what you're here for. Me? I have a load of anger issues. Long story short, I wrecked my neighbor's house, and he's suing me. I lost my house. I'm in debt."

"And me," Leon said, gaining Lili's attention, "Me and my older brother are both here. We're both playing for a higher chance to win. We want to pay for our sister Mei's leukemia treatment."

"Oh," Lili said as she settled herself nervously down on the couch, noticing that while a few people had gone back to whatever they were doing, a few were still watching her curiously--this included a woman with curly brown hair, a stoic-faced man with dead blue eyes, and a shockingly white man. White hair that was almost silvery, white skin, even grinning white teeth. He had sharp red eyes and gave off a boisterous air.

"I'm Lili, and I'm here because my brother needs a heart transplant."

"Same here," The woman with the curly brown hair said, and she leaned forward to shake Lili's hand, "I can't run or anything. I'm at the risk of heart attack basically every day, but..."

She pursed her lips, before shaking her head and smiling once again.

"I'm Bella!" She introduced herself, "They flew me all the way from Belgium to be here!"

"I thought your accent sounded familiar," Elizabeta said appreciatively, "I've got a few cousins there."

"Really?"

The door behind them opened them, and this time it was of a man with brown hair and thick eyebrows. Lili noticed that he and the red-haired man shared similar faces and green eyes, and wondered if they were possibly related. He scanned the room, before bowing his head slightly and saying,

"The twelfth and final guest has arrived."

He stepped aside so a young man of maybe twenty two stepped inside, with auburn hair and bright eyes, slightly curly hair, with a single flyaway curl that stuck out amusingly from the side of his head.

"Ciao!" He greeted cheerfully, waving enthusiastically, "I'm Feliciano!"

The man behind Feliciano opened the door a little wider, and in stepped Alfred. For a moment Lili nearly mistook him for Matthew--he was wearing a white jacket that Lili had mistaken for Matthew's familiar lab coat--but it was, indeed, Alfred.

"Welcome!" He announced brightly, and there was a chorus of greetings, "I see everybody has arrived safely and all in one piece. Now, if you please, my dudes--Dinner is right through that door, and into the dining room!"

There was a shuffling noise as everybody got to their feet, and entered the aforementioned room. Lili awkwardly followed Elizabeta into the dining room. A long oak table awaited them, with name cards set at every seat. Lili found hers as the first chair on the right side, and sat down in the seat, next to a slightly older man with brown hair and across from Bella.

There were plates full of food already on the table--Spaghetti, chicken, and mashed potatoes.

"Ooh, pasta!" Feliciano cheered from the opposite end of the table, and Lili could not help but smile--his joyous tones were infectious. Alfred slid himself into the seat at the head of the table, grinning at them all, before saying,

"Now, let's have a little small talk while we're all here. Name, age, reason. I like all my guests to know about one another before our game...Begins."

He pointed at Bella, who hastily slurped the noodles hanging out of her mouth into it, chewed, and said,

"U-uh, Bella. Bella Maes. I'm twenty, and uh...Here because I need money for a heart transplant."

"How long have you been waiting?" Lili asked. Bella glanced at her in surprise before answering,

"Nearly a year."

"Oh," Lili quickly took a bite of mashed potatoes as to appear occupied.

"Gilbert, introduce yourself, my bro," Alfred nodded to the white-haired man Lili had noticed before. Gilbert smirked before turning to them, saying,

"I'm Gilbert, twenty-four, here because--"

"Wait," Feliciano's voice interrupted, " _Gilbert?_ "

"Feli, it's about time you noticed me," Gilbert grinned down the table, "I assume we're here for the same reasons?"

"Probably!"

"And what are these reasons?" Alfred encouraged.

"We're here because my brother Ludwig is sick with terminal cancer," Gilbert explained while Feliciano gushed, "Oh my gosh, I didn't notice you were here!"

"My awesomeness is disappointed," Gilbert laughed. Lili realized suddenly his accent was German.

"Why else are you here, Gilbert?" Alfred pressed on, and Gilbert's smile slowly disappeared. He rubbed the back of his neck, face flushing a bit with pink, and Lili realized he looked ashamed.

"I...I used to gamble," Gilbert muttered, "A lot. And I'm a recovering alcoholic, I've been drinking since I was fifteen. But I've been nearly a year sober!"

Alfred's eyes were cold and icy. Gilbert cleared his throat before he turned to the young woman next to him, who had been very quiet the entire time.

"I'm..." She trailed off, swirling spaghetti onto her fork, before continuing, "Linh. I'm eighteen, and since my family moved from Vietnam, we haven't been..."

Linh did not continue, so nobody tried to pressure her into speaking any more, but Alfred's face was full of disappointment as he pointed to the man with the dead blue eyes next to her.

"Lukas?"

Lukas did not answer for a while, jaw working furiously. He was wearing an old hand-me-down blazer and pinstriped dress shirt. Lili had become very good at identifying what was new and what was not after spending so much time in Goodwill, trying to figure out what was hand-me-down and what wasn't.

"Lukas. Twenty one. Brother dying," Was all he was willing to pay. He did not seem to be the sociable type, and he left the air feeling awkward and uncomfortable as the brunette girl next to him introduced herself.

"I'm Tereza Novak," She said formally, "I'm nineteen, and my boyfriend Matus and I are both in debt. A lot of debt. We both got loans for an entire ride to college and a house, and now they're threatening to evict us from it. So we need to pay back."

"How long have you guys been dating?" Elizabeta asked with a look of interest as she cut her chicken into perfectly square pieces. Lili herself had not touched the chicken, as she was a vegetarian. She'd been ever since her class did a field trip to a meat factory two years ago, and couldn't handle the thought of eating something with a face and a previous life now.

"Almost three years," Tereza answered, "I'm from the Czech Republic, we both met while I was on vacation in Slovakia. We live in England now."

"You flew all the way from England?" The man next to Lili asked, setting down his fork as it had been halfway to his mouth, "For this?"

"Well, we need the money," Tereza said defensively, before shoving a large piece of chicken into her mouth, signifying she would not talk anymore. The Asian man next to her sighed, wiping his mouth, before saying,

"I'm Wang Yao. Twenty eight. We're from China, and even though we're legal immigrants, a lot of people won't hire us. We need to pay for our sister, she's suffering from leukemia right now, aru."

Lili wondered what 'aru' meant, but before she could ask, Feliciano was already introducing himself (his plate had been wiped clean).

"I'm Feliciano Vargas-Beilschmidt, twenty two, and my husband Ludwig is really sick," Feliciano twirled his fork in midair, a smile on his face, "We want to adopt one day, and we're also trying to help someone--" he suddenly shot a glare into Gilbert's direction-- "pay off their gambling and alcohol debt."

"Sorry," Gilbert said in a sincere voice, and once again he nearly looked ashamed of himself. Elizabeta introduced herself, explaining about her anger issues in great depth, before turning expectantly to Leon. Leon repeated what Yao had said (but with an added "I'm from _Hong Kong_. Hong. Kong.")

The woman next to Leon did not say anything for a while. Lili thought she was rather pretty, with a sheet of silvery hair and dark blue eyes, snowy skin. She, like Elizabeta, was not dressed formally and was wearing a simple black sweater and skirt.

"Natalya," The woman said after a very long, very awkward silence, before chewing on her chicken. When Alfred raised an eyebrow, she rolled her eyes and said, "Seventeen. My brother, Ivan, is in need of a liver. He has damaged it from drinking."

"Do you not like alcohol, Natalya?" Alfred asked her, and Natalya shook her head. "Is that why you haven't touched the wine?"

"I'm also underage," Natalya spat, before jerking her head to the man next to Lili, who gave a small jump, nearly dropped his fork, and sputtered nervously,

"I'm, I'm uh--I'm Toris Lorinaitis. I just turned nineteen...I, I uh..."

He looked helplessly from Lili to Alfred, then back down at his plate, swallowing nervously, before seemingly gathering his thoughts and taking a deep breath.

"I'm here because I'm in debt," He said, reaching across for the glass of water near his plate, "My parents died two years ago, and I'm in a lot of debt due to hospital bills and mandatory therapy. My best friend's house burned down recently. I want to make enough money to buy Feliks a new house and for us to both go to college, but I'm in _a lot_ of debt."

"What were you in the hospital for?" Alfred asked conversationally, but Lili noticed there was an ice-cold glint to his eyes. She suddenly became aware that her hand was shaking, so she set her fork down before glancing towards Toris, whose fists were clenched in his lap.

"I, uh, I was in the h-hospital for," Toris stammered out, before looking up at the ceiling and saying, "I was in the hospital because I tried to kill myself, and in therapy for depression."

The air went very still, and everybody's faces either look shocked or stricken, but Alfred threw his head back and laughed, clapping his hands together gleefully like a child on Christmas.

Toris actually seemed ashamed to himself as Alfred continued to laugh, and Lili found herself thinking that she did not like him very much. Turning her attention back to Toris, she said,

"I'm sorry that happened. I hope you're better now."

"I am," Toris nodded, as if desperate to prove he was, "Feliks helped a lot, I feel indebted to him."

Alfred only laughed harder, but stopped when a voice sounded.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Elizabeta demanded angrily, red in the face, and Alfred stopped laughing. He straightened up in his seat, grinning.

"I just find matters like that _hilarious_ ," He answered, resting his hands on the table, "I mean, sure, I feel bad for people with stuff like breast cancer, things they can't prevent. But I laugh at people who caused things to _themselves_ , like diabetes or suicide attempts. The way they demand attention for it is so funny to me."

"I wasn't dema--" Toris said weakly, but he was cut off by Alfred narrowing his eyes at Lili and asking sharply,

"Why haven't you eaten your chicken?"

"Oh, I--I, I..." Lili looked down at the forgotten piece of meat, before looking up, "I'm a vegetarian, I'm sorry."

"Oh," Alfred said, before laughing once again. "Well, Lili, introduce yourself."

"I'm...I'm Lili Zwingli," Lili said quietly when everybody's attention turned to her, except Toris, who was staring into his lap, and Elizabeta, who was glaring in Alfred's direction, "I'm fourteen, and my brother needs a heart transplant."

"How long has he been waiting?" Bella asked, and Lili remembered that she also needed one.

"Nearly three years," Lili said, "But things with money only became tight about two years ago, when he had to stop working."

"That's too bad," Tereza said sympathetically, "I had an uncle once, who--"

"I'll give you five thousand to eat the chicken," Alfred's voice cut Tereza's off. He was staring at Lili intently, sky-blue eyes shining. Lili was taken aback.

"Excuse me?"

"Five thousand dollars to eat it," Alfred nodded to the untouched chicken on Lili's plate, "Three bites, and it's yours."

"I--I can't," Lili sputtered, staring at him in shock. Was he being serious? "I'm a vegetarian, I--"

"Don't care," Alfred interrupted her, before leaning forward, smiling, "Five thousand for three bites, dear."

"Now hold the hell--" Elizabeta's voice sounded angrily, but Alfred held his hand up and she silenced, though her face was steadily getting redder. Everybody's eyes were on her, except for Natalya, who was glaring at Alfred with a look of distaste on her face.

"I...I really can't," Lili said, feeling very sick. What was up with this man? Why would he try to pressure her into eating meat?

"Well, I guess that's too bad," Alfred sighed, before smiling again, "But will can be shattered very easily."

He turned to Gilbert, who had been scraping bits of mashed potato off his plate, "Five thousand for the wine, Gilbert."

"I--What?" Gilbert looked shocked, "What are you talking about?"

"Five thousand dollars to drink this entire glass of wine, it's not much," Alfred said, tapping the rim of Gilbert's glass. Gilbert stared at him, before snickering, and saying,

"Very funny joke, Al. Did Birdie tell you to do that?"

"Mattie didn't," Alfred said, and with a start Lili realized he must have meant Matthew, "I'm serious. Five thousand for the wine."

Gilbert stared at Alfred for a very long while, an unreadable look on his face, before saying in a flat voice,

"I can't. Recovering, remember?"

"Alright, then," Alfred looked over his shoulder and called, "Rhys!"

The man who had introduced Feliciano, with the longish brown hair and bright eyes, leaned down next to Alfred while he whispered in his ear. Lili could not hear what he was saying, but she had a cold feeling in her stomach. Whatever he was whispering, she would probably not like it. Rhys nodded, straightened up, and walked over to a cabinet identical to the one in the room they'd all been in before. Rhys returned with two bottles in his hand, but he hid one behind his back, and handed the first one to Alfred.

Alfred examined it with raised eyebrows, before slamming it down in front of Gilbert, saying in a loud voice,

"Ten thousand if you can drink this whole bottle of beer!"

Gilbert's face went from pink to red in a matter of seconds. He angrily pushed the bottle away from him, spitting out,

"This isn't fucking funny, Al. Did Matthew put you up to this? Did--"

"No, I am," Alfred said in a smooth voice, tapping the bottle with his finger. Elizabeta's face was redder than Gilbert's, and so was Natalya's. Lili remembered her brother's own problem with alcohol and associated the anger in her face with that subject. Lukas was the only one still eating, but he was staring at his plate as he did so, chewing slowly and without feeling.

Gilbert glowered at the bottle as he spat out,

"I'm not gonna do it. I've been working for sobriety, Al. I've put aside my pride and attended Alcoholics Anonymous. I've got myself a job. A hobby. I've gotten myself Birdie. I'm not going to throw it all away for some money--"

"Your brother is forever in debt because of you," Alfred said loftily, picking up the bottle of beer and rolling it in his hands, and Lili found herself hating him more and more by the second, "Forever. Your gambling and drinking problems left you guys struggling. He's dying, now. In the hospital, and you and his husband are here playing a game for money."

"Yeah, but not--" Gilbert said angrily, but alcohol cut him off with that smooth, and yet gritty, voice of his.

"What if you don't win? I think ten thousand dollars would certainly help, Gil. It's the least you could do for your brother," Alfred stared, long and hard at Gilbert, whose jaw was working furiously and angrily, before nodding to Rhys, who set down a larger bottle in front of Gilbert.

"Twenty thousand for the bottle of rum, Gilbert," Alfred handed the beer back to Rhys, and Lili watched him set it on a small table nearby, next to a an expensive-looking base. "It's the least you could do. Repay him. You love him, don't you?"

Gilbert's eyes were trained on the bottle, fingernails digging into his skin. Lili realized her own fists were clenched so tightly her fingernails were cutting into her palms. The air was deadly still, broken only by Gilbert and Elizabeta's angry, heavy breathing.

Linh suddenly opened her mouth as she did, "Gilbert--" but Gilbert reached over, popped the cap off the bottle, and drained it with seconds. All of the blood left Elizabeta''s face and she stood up, looking furious, but whether it was directed to Alfred or Gilbert, Lili did not know, because Gilbert suddenly smashed the bottle against the table, and Lili was shocked that it didn't shatter into pieces. His eyes were dark, face white, an across the table, Feliciano looked close to crying.

Arthur nodded, satisfied, as Rhys pressed a wad of hundred dollar bills into Gilbert's hands. Gilbert did not look at the money, but continued to stare dejectedly at his plate.

"Alright then," Alfred said, before getting to his feet and cracking his knuckles. He looked very enthusiastic, and Lili was suddenly dreading what was coming.

"It's time for our game!" Alfred clapped his hands together, "What you all came here for!"

"Finally," Bella said in a relieved voice, and Lili noticed the other participants had relaxed a bit, though some were still very tense. Alfred glanced around at all of them, before smiling and saying,

"Now, in case any of you decided now that you don't want to play the game, for whatever reason, we have cars waiting outside to take you to the airport, or home. Does anybody want to leave?"

He spread his hands wide, and Lili, for a moment, considered actually leaving. Many of the people here did not look very pleasant, and she did not like Alfred, but her own thumping heart reminded her of Basch. Her own living, beating heart constantly reminded her of her brother, suffering, waiting for a donor, and her fingers curled into her palms.

Enough money to pay for a new heart. A donor as soon as she won. An opportunity for Basch to attend school with a normal heart, and have a normal life.

Repaying him for _everything_ he's done for her.

So Lili did not say that she wanted to leave, and neither did anybody else, though Tereza looked as if she was seriously regretting her decision as Alfred clapped his hands together once again and said,

"That's good. The game we will be playing tonight is one perhaps many of you are familiar with. A game, of Would You Rather?"

Lili raised an eyebrow, and she heard a few sounds of curiosity. She had expected a game that involved a bit more, maybe, trivia, or even athleticism, but no, it was, apparently, simple.

She did not trust, however, that it would be simple.

"For those of you unfamiliar with it, let's see..." Alfred's eyes scanned the table before he smiled and pointed at Natalya, "Natalya. Would you rather kiss Lili or Yao?"

"Lili," Natalya answered, and Lili felt her face flush, and she brought her hand up to fan herself. Alfred gave a delighted noise before nodding.

"That's the game. Except, in this game, you will have to act on what you choose. So, Natalya, you would have to kiss Lili right now, if that was your choice."

The door behind Alfred opened, and two men wheeled in a strange looking device on a cart. The men were the redhead who had driven Lili here and a smaller, blond man with bright eyes focused on what he was doing--Alfred, Lili noticed, was hungrily raking his eyes over the blond's body.

"What's--Uh, what is that?" Leon asked. The device on top looked like a very weird, very large and old-fashioned radio, with gauges where the speakers would be. Strange belt-like objects and a remote control were on top of it.

"That, my friend, is a device that Cameron used during his interrogation days," Alfred pointed to the redhead, who gave them all a rather unsettling smile. 'Interrogation' and 'device' in the same sentence was not something good, Lili thought to herself.

"Oh," Elizabeta's voice sounded furious, " _I_ know what that is. That's a _fucking_ \--"

She did not even finish her sentence. Her face was, once again, extremely red, and she stood up, knocking her chair aside, and picked up her emptied glass.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" She shouted, before chucking it at Alfred, who dodged it smoothly. Rhys caught it carefully in his hand, and set it down next to the bottle of beer.

"It's part of the game," Alfred said, traces of laughter in his voice, and Lili's stomach plummeted. She suddenly recognized the device, and felt as if she were going to be sick.

"Yeah, but..." Elizabeta's green eyes trained on it, before shaking her head, "No, that's...That's so wrong. Oh my god."

"But it's part of the game," Alfred said, smiling, but Elizabeta shook her head even more rapidly.

"No, no, not playing," Elizabeta said, stepping over her fallen chair, "You're insane. I'm not doing this, no matter how much debt I'm in."

"Sit down," Alfred said, still smiling, looking down at her. Elizabeta's fists curled, and her face was steadily going from red to maroon.

"Let her go," Lukas said suddenly, looking intently at Alfred, "It's illegal to keep her here against her will. I study law. I know how this works. She can sue you."

"How ironic," Alfred laughed, before reverting his attention to Natalia, "Sit down, girl."

" _Fuck_ no," She raised her fist to punch Alfred, but he caught her wrist, smiling, though he did look a little surprised at the sudden action. Both Lukas and Linh looked ready to get to their feet, and Lili herself had a very, very bad feeling in her stomach.

"Sit. Down." He said in a cold voice, and his smile vanished, "The opportunity to leave has passed."

"You can't keep me here," Elizabeta shouted angrily, "That's a fucking _torture_ device, and I'm not going to stick around for this."

She pointed at everyone sitting at the table, eyes flashing. "You're all crazy if you're going to stay here. I'm leaving."

Elizabeta turned and stomped towards the closed door, raising her hands up to shove Rhys out of the way, but Arthur smoothly slid an object from the waistband of his pants, raised it, and fired at her head.

It took Lili a moment to realize that her ears were ringing, and there was blood spattered on the walls, and Elizabeta's body was crumpling to the ground. She shrieked, jumping to her feet in horror, and she was not the only one to do so. Nearly the whole table, save Bella, who was staring at the body in shock, and Feliciano, who started crying, leaped out of their seats, screaming or gasping.

The panic was immediate--Gilbert threw the bottle still in his hands at Arthur, looking paler than possible, and both Leon and Tereza shrieked as Cameron and Rhys, too, pulled guns out, pointing them at them.

"Sit down," Alfred commanded, voice powerful and hostile, " _Sit down, now_!"

Gasping, eyes wide, shock and panic still coursing through her veins, Lili sat down in her chair as Arthur pointed the gun at her head, following her movements. Natalya had to be shoved down in her seat, and Toris had his head down on the table, making gagging noises.

Alfred leaned against his chair, eyes ablaze, a look of fury on his face.

"That," He said slowly, looking at each and every one of them, "is what happens, when you try to leave. _Nobody_ will be leaving tonight, _unless_ you win."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eleven contestants left.
> 
> For those of you possibly unaware-
> 
> Lili--Liechtenstein  
> Natalya--Belarus  
> Leon--Hong Kong  
> Bella--Belgium  
> Elizabeta--Hungary  
> Lukas--Norway  
> Tereza--Czech Republic  
> Matus--Slovakia  
> Feliciano--N. Italy  
> Ludwig--Germany  
> Gilbert--Prussia  
> Linh--Vietnam  
> Yao--China  
> Alfred--America  
> Toris--Lithuania  
> Arthur--England/Britain  
> Cameron--Scotland  
> Rhys--Wales


	3. Chapter Three

Lili forgot how to breathe.

Her heart thumped, loud, fast, shaky, against her chest, and her breathing slowed to a complete stop, and she could only stare as hot tears raced down her cheeks, the crumpled body of Elizabeta twitching slightly, blood staining her flannel.

It took all the strength she had to prevent herself from throwing up, and another few seconds to remember how to breathe. Her lungs expanded with air as the ringing in her ears cleared up, and she stopped crying almost at once, reality blurring.

This was not happening. She did not just witness a murder. She's still at home, laying on her bed, or maybe having fallen asleep watching a movie with Basch. She's not here. In this house, with strangers, staring at crimson stains on the wall and floor.

Lili is not here. She's not.

But she is.

Every fiber of her being felt cold, frozen, but painfully alive. Inflamed. She could hear everything. She could hear Toris, still retching. She could hear harsh sobbing from Tereza as she tried to calm herself down, and she could hear the slightly quieter ones of Feliciano, who was heaving in deep breaths.

She could see everything. Lukas sat far back in his seat, eyes closed and face white. He was clenching his fists on the table. Linh sat next to him, staring blankly at Elizabeta. Bella was as well, though she was heaving in deep breaths. Gilbert was picking shards of glass out of his hand shakily.

Leon had thrown up and was heaving on the floor. Yao was shouting at the redhaired man, Cameron, who was now pointing his gun directly at Leon's head. Natalya had one of the dinner knives in hand and was pointing it angrily at Alfred while he glared at them all.

Lili herself was still struggling to breath, trying not to scream at the intake of all this information. Of what was going on. Of the lights pressing against her eyes, the ringing still faint in her ears, the acrid smell of the gun being fired that nearly overpowered everything else, except--except the distinct, sharp smell of coppery blood.

And then, the men holding the guns finally managed to get everyone back in their seats, and Alfred told them that nobody was leaving tonight, unless they won.

Which meant that eleven of them would have to die.

It took Lili approximately thirty seconds to go over all of this in her head, the flashing memories and shock, and this new piece of information, before she ducked her head low and gagged. Holding her hand tightly over her lips to prevent herself from puking, she straightened up, taking in deep breaths.

After everybody managed to stop choking on air, stop heaving or crying, or, in Natalya's case, tearing at the tablecloth with a fork, Alfred turned to Arthur, who had returned to a civil, straight-backed position, hands folded neatly in front of him.

"Ready?" He asked, and Arthur nodded, before snapping at Rhys and a ginger-haired man who had just entered, pointing at Elizabeta's body, and then pointing up towards the ceiling. They both nodded silently, before bending down, Rhys picking up Elizabeta's arms and the ginger, her feet, and together, they carried her out of the room carefully.

Her green eyes were still open, unblinking, and Lili caught a glimpse of them before she had to close her eyes to keep herself from crying anymore.

"Now, the game truly begins," Alfred said, sitting back down, and shrugging off his bomber jacket, which he was wearing over a rather uncomfortable looking suit. Adjusting his tie slightly, Alfred blew a few locks of blond hair out of his face, before saying, "Now, the first two to go first will be...Bella and Lili."

"Does Birdie know?" Gilbert asked suddenly, looking up at Alfred, eyes hollowed out, "Does he know...That...You're doing this?"

"Well, of course he does," Alfred smiled cheerfully at Gilbert, "He recommended two of you to me. But, you? No, he doesn't know."

"Wait," Lili was surprised to find herself speaking, staring at Alfred as it all pieced together in her head, "Matthew--y-your brother--he did--he recommended--?"

"You and Linh," Alfred nodded to Linh, who stared down at her plate with a look of concentration, as if hoping to disintegrate it into ash. Lili pressed her fingers to her temples, taking in a few deep breaths, but she felt someone yank her hair back, and she realized Cameron was threading his fingers through her hair and forcing her head back so he could slip something around her head.

Across the table, Bella was being subjected to the same, gasping as her head was yanked forcefully back and a device that resembled a wide, thick belt with circular metal devices beneath it. Wires connected to the machine that so resembled a radio, and a large, black remote was shoved into Bella's hand.

"Now, this round...:" Alfred said as Bella pressed a hand to her chest, gasping, either from shock or--Lili remembered her heart condition. She could not handle her heart beating so fast, and--if this was truly what Lili believed it to be--

"You only get fifteen seconds to make your decision," Alfred explained with a wide gesture of his hands, before running one through his blond hair, smirking, "Should you fail to make your decision within the allotted time, you will be eliminated."

"The question is...Would You Rather...Electrocute yourself? Or your neighbor?"

Alfred tapped his watch, and it lit up with bright red digital numbers, already set at fifteen seconds.

Lili looked around at everybody else, to see if anybody else looked as horrified as she felt. Both Yao and Tereza's faces held the same look of disbelief, as if they both believed hard enough, this would turn out to all be a silly joke. Feliciano had stopped crying, but was now biting his fingers nervously as his glistening eyes focused on the door behind Alfred.

"Bella," Alfred turned to Bella, who focused on him with wide, fearful green eyes, "The blue button is for you, the red button for Lili. Would You Rather electrocute yourself, or Lili?"

Alfred pressed a button on his watch, and a loud _BEEP, BEEP, BEEP_ , filled the room as it counted down.

Lili felt her breathing stop, and she had to scratch, hard, at the exposed skin of her knee to bring her back to life.

Lili found Bella's green eyes, focused on her, and realized her hands were shaking. Lili tried to convey in her eyes, that it was okay, for Bella to choose her, because Lili's heart was still in perfectly fine condition, and--

Bella's finger slammed down on the blue button, and her head was suddenly thrown back as her mouth lolled open, shaking visibly, so hard that the remote fell out of her hand. It was over within seconds, but when it was over she retched loudly, gasping, eyes wide.

Lili felt her fear mount as the belt-like object was slipped off Bella's head as Alfred laughed, clapping his hands together as if he were a seal who was receiving his favorite treat.

"Rather shocking, don't you think?" Alfred asked, glancing to Arthur, who rolled his eyes before shaking his head.

"Only you would think so."

The belt was slipped over Toris's head, and the remote was pressed into Lili's hand. Her own heart was thumping heavily as she looked up, Bella still breathing heavily, fists clenched over her chest.

"No--more," She gasped out weakly, still shaking due to the shock. Lili's breath hitched. Bella's heart problem. Basch's heart problem. She had to grit her teeth and do this. For her protector. Her caretaker.

For Basch.

"Red button is for you," Alfred said loudly, standing up from his seat as if in anticipation, drawing Lili's attention from Bella, "And the blue button is for Toris. Your time starts...Now."

Lili swallowed heavily as Alfred started his watch, and the loud beeping noises echoed heavily in her head.

"It's okay," Toris whispered to her, green eyes wide and fearful, but his mouth set in a determined line, "Choose me, I will be able to handle two."

 _I know what your next decision will be,_ Lili thought to herself when she heard that, and her eyes found Bella, _Nobody should do that twice_.

She had seven seconds left, but she slammed her finger down on the red button as quickly as she could.

It felt as Lili's head was being driven into with screwdrivers that sent trembles down her body, and she had to close her eyes and mouth because it felt like her teeth or eyes would pop out of her head. She was unaware of anything else but the electrifying pain running down her body and waves, and it was only when it stopped did Lili realize she was screaming.

Lili gasped as the belt was slid off her head, and she unwillingly let herself slump down in her seat, hands gripping the seat tightly. She could not breathe. Her blood felt cold. Her body was buzzing. Toris was looking at her with fear bright in his eyes, but Lili didn't care, because she still felt as if the ghosts of the shock were slicing through her body like cold knives.

Lili's heart was beating too fast, her breathing too shallow, as she heard Alfred tell Toris that red button was for Natalya and the blue button was for himself. She felt Toris jolt next to her, shaking uncontrollably as his head drew back, staring at the ceiling with his jaw clenched tight, small noises barely escaping him as the remote clattered from his hand.

Lili managed to regain herself as the belt was being pulled off of Toris's head and placed on Leon's, who had his tie inserted in his mouth and was chewing on it as if out of habit, fingers twitching on the tablecloth. Natalya studied the remote for a few long seconds as the beeping of Alfred's watch filled the otherwise quiet, tense atmosphere. After a moment of inspection, Natalya pressed the blue button.

Leon jerked back and his tie fell out of his mouth. Yao gave a cry of shock and Alfred gave a delighted laugh as he watched Leon shake in his seat, eyes rolling into the back of his head. Feliciano was crying again. Natalya was staring blankly at the remote, as if only aware now of what it did.

"You _fucking bitch_ ," Yao shouted angrily, though he seemed to be more shocked than angry, watching Leon jerk violently in his spot, arms flailing.

When Leon stopped shaking, he straightened up, eyes closed, before opening them again and glaring down at Alfred as the belt was slid carefully off of Natalya's head and placed around Feliciano's, who was trembling in fear, and the tear tracks on his face were evident. Tereza's arm was bleeding because she was clawing at her skin so hard.

"Red button for Feliciano, blue button for you," Alfred sang as he sat down on the table, causing Lili to scooch back in her seat, not wanting to be closer to him than she had to. Luckily, the boisterous young man did not notice. Leon blinked blearily at the remote control in his hands, Feliciano closing his eyes tightly, as if that would make it all go away.

Leon glanced up at Yao, who was watching him intently and nervously, before pressing the blue button.

For the second time, Leon's head threw back and he gagged as Yao gave a cry of "you _idiot_!", bringing his hands up to his head and clawing at it. Cameron gripped his wrists and forced them away as Leon continued shaking, and when it finished his head lolled to the side, still spasming slightly. Lili had to look away as she heard Leon choke again, biting down hard on her knuckles. Feliciano gave a sob as the belt was removed carefully from Leon's twitching head and placed on Yao's.

The remote was shoved into Feliciano's hand, which was shaking so bad he actually dropped it. When he did not bend down to retrieve it, Cameron ducked low, picking it back up, and pressing it forcefully into Feliciano's palm, who instantly set it on the table as if touching it for too long would poison.

"Red button for you, Feli," Alfred said in a friendly voice, "Or the blue button for the old man. Would You Rather electrocute him or yourself?"

"Who are you calling old?" Yao snapped, but Leon mumbled,

"Like, please shut up."

Yao quieted, staring intently at Leon, who was still slumped in his seat and was staring dimly three feet above Lukas's head.

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

"Chooooooose, Feli," Alfred urged, and Lili watched Feliciano bite his knuckles like she herself had done, eyes clenching tight. In her mind, she ticked down the seconds.

_Seven._

_Six._

_Five._

_Four._

_Three._

Feliciano gave a slight cry as he, eyes still closed, slammed his palm hastily down on the remote control, and within seconds fell off his seat with a screech, body spasming from the electrocution.

Lili couldn't watch him on the floor. She looked away, instead choosing to focus on the others across the table. Bella had recovered a bit from her first time, hand pressed against her chest as if hoping to just stop her heart completely. To her left, Gilbert stared silently down at his plate, occasionally shooting glares to Alfred. Linh had her face covered. Lukas was watching the belt being taken from Lukas's and placed over Tereza's with a detached feeling on his face, though his fists were still clenched tightly on top of the table.

Tereza watched Feliciano clamber back into his seat without making any noise, face grayish and looking distinctly sick. Yao studied the remote, as if wondering if he could smash it against the floor. Lili barely registered Yao pressing the red button, as if curious to see what it did.

Instead of throwing her head back, Tereza brought her head down on the table, sliding out of her seat and twitching uncontrollably. Her forehead smacked against the edge of the table and she lurched to the side, and Cameron instantly bent down, picking her up from under her arms and pulling her back into her seat. She had stopped shaking and was instead staring at the ceiling in shock, as if unable to register what had just happened.

The belt was slid off of Yao's head, who was staring with a hard expression at his hands, as if questioning what he had just done, before he slid the remote over to Tereza. Alfred waited patiently for Tereza to stir, before clicking his tongue.

"Red for you, Tereza, and blue for Lukas."

Tereza stared, long and hard at the remote, and Lili couldn't read her face, and couldn't predict which option she'd choose. Lukas crossed his arms and glared down at the remote, as if picturing picking it up and clobbing either Tereza herself or Alfred to death. Tereza had seemed a bit friendly earlier, and could possibly press the button for herself--'taking one for the team'--but then again, would she be able to handle it? She handled it much worse than Leon had, and who knew what would happen if she did it twice?

Which is why Lili was not surprised, but still a little mortified, when she closed her eyes and gently pressed the blue button. Lukas's entire body jerked to the left in surprise, his eyes wide, and his head threw back and hit the back of the chair, his left hand jumping to his exposed neck and the other reaching up as if to remove the belt from his head. Cameron kicked the back of Lukas's chair as he gasped, causing him to lurch forward and slam his head against the edge of the table. When he stopped shaking, Cameron nearly ripped the belt off of Tereza's head and carelessly strapped it to Linh's.

Lukas straightened up, eyes blazing, and Alfred had not even opened his mouth to speak when Lukas's fist slammed down on the blue button again. Lili closed her eyes as Lukas violently jerked to the side once again, and covered her ears when she heard him gagging violently.

Lili could not breathe. She couldn't process what was happening, and yet, she understood it perfectly.

Why was Alfred doing this? Why had Matthew recommended her and Linh? What was the _point_ of all this?

For fun, a nasty, snide voice in her head, What if he does it for fun?

How could anybody do this for fun? Lili screamed silently to herself.

When she opened her eyes, Luks was bringing a napkin to staunch blood flow from his nose, and Linh was jerking violently in her seat while Gilbert glared at her, the belt around his own head, strikingly different from his shock of silvery hair.

Alfred watched Linh with hungry interest, as if enjoying her reactions, and when she stopped shaking and straightened up, looking unbothered but pale, and he laughed.

"Mattie said you were great," Alfred said as the belt was slid slowly off of Linh's head. Cameron rolled his eyes before fastening it tightly around Bella's head, who looked weakly towards Gilbert.

"Now, Gilbert. Red is for Bella and blue is for you. Would You Rather electrocute young, devilishly handsome, healthy you, or the young, not as healthy knock-out beauty Bella?"

Bella's eyes widened in alarm as Gilbert stared her directly in the eyes, as if daring her to speak.

"Please--" She begged, but the words had hardly left her mouth when Gilbert pressed the red button.

Bella gave a scream as her body jolted, and Lili nearly leaped back in her seat in horror as Bella fell over, face smacking onto the table, body spasming violently before it subsided.

The entire room was still and quiet. Lili felt as if her stomach had been yanked from her body, and that her throat was trying to crawl out of her mouth. Her pulse and mind were both racing as her own breath slowed into deep, shaky heaves, unable to comprehend anything.

What as....

Why was she...

Cameron carefully removed both belts from Bella and Gilbert's heads, before leaning over, grabbing a fistful of Bella's hairs and yanking her to the side. He held his fingers under her nose, before moving to check her wrist. He let her drop back onto the table as he straightened up and told Alfred,

"She is still breathing, but has no pulse."

"Aw, man," Alfred pouted, "Well, two shocks to a weak heart can't be good, bro. And she looked so _fun_ , too."

Alfred turned around to face Rhys and the ginger, who had returned when nobody was looking.

"Harry, Rhys, that one--" He nodded to Bella, who was still unmoving, "Take her away. Remember, dispose everything. And not in the water, thanks, that's too bad for the environment."

"Aye, sir," They both said at the same time, before the one referred to as Harri walked over, heaved Bella up, and simply slung her over his back as easily as if she were a sack of potatoes. Her head and arms hung limply, and it was just so...So sick and terrifying and just...

Lili gagged, still trying not to throw up, as the room erupted into noise.

"What the _hell_ is wrong with you?" Natalya spat towards Gilbert, who looked lost and confused, as if unaware how he had gotten here, or as if he didn't know who he was.

"You were the one who shocked the kid," Gilbert said as he looked up at Natalya, eyes wide and unblinking. Natalya glanced back at Leon, who had mostly recovered, but still looked pale and was chewing once again on his tie nervously. Feliciano was still biting his knuckles, though staring blankly at some point over Yao's shoulder.

"I have reasons," Natalya murmured, glaring down at her hands, "Being electrified...It's a fear I've always had. It stems from a person matter. I'm sorry. But you knew she could not handle that."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Leon said in a low voice, "Did I, like, not appear as if I could handle that? Or did I? I'd like to know how strong I appear, please."

"Shut up, you were strong enough to handle two, and so was Luke," Natalya spat, nodding towards Lukas, who was now staunching the flow of blood with his sleeve.

"Lukas," He corrected quietly.

"I pressed it because she was going to die anyways," Gilbert scanned their faces, as if daring them to contradict him, "She didn't look too good. The faster the rest of you die, the closer me and Feliciano get to saving Luddy--"

"What if we're both the last ones standing, Gil?" Feliciano piped up, and his voice was surprisingly strong despite how much he'd been crying previously, "What will you do then?"

"May the best man win," Gilbert told him in a low and serious voice, "But nothing's going to stop me from saving my brother."

"But Bella--" Toris spoke up, looking intently at Gilbert, "She didn't have to die, we could have all worked together--"

Lili pressed her hands over her face, unable to listen to anymore. She couldn't do this, she couldn't handle this, she needed to try to escape. She could use her smaller height as an advantage and manage to take Cameron's gun, but--

 _Wait a minute_ , a clear voice said in her head, and Lili found her breath evening out, _That's a stupid plan. You have a better chance surviving this game than you do trying to run away_.

 _I can try_ , the more frantic voice in her head shouted back, _It's better than this!_

 _Think about Basch!_ The second voice urged smoothly, _And how you'll both be able to go hiking in the Swiss Alps like you've always wanted to, with his new, beating heart. Think about Basch, Lili. You_ owe _him that_.

Lili slowly uncovered his face, lifting her head, and everybody was still arguing loudly while Alfred watched with a gleam in his eye. She spoke up.

"Guys," She said, and her sudden speaking out caused mostly everyone to stop and look towards her. Feeling her face turn red, she sputtered,

"We won't get far getting angry at each _other_. Who invited us here in the first place?"

Everyone blinked at her, before their attentions suddenly turned towards Alfred, who was grinning.

"Why the hell are we here?" Tereza asked angrily, a bruise blossoming on her forehead, "Why must we play this game?"

"Why can't you just help all of us out, or even just one of us, aru?" Yao demanded, "The disappointment that would bring is better than bloodshed!"

"This isn't fair," Leon stood up as well, wobbly as he let his tie fall from his mouth, before looking at Lili, eyes blazing, "There's a kid in here, man. A kid. A kid shouldn't have to go through this."

"She is young, a child, and a child should not be scarred like this," Natalya supplied, glowering at Alfred.

"It's one thing to torture the well-developed mind of an adult," Lukas said, eyes focusing on the table, but his words clearly directed at Alfred, "But to attack the mind of a still-developing young girl? You'll shatter her before she's even complete."

"This is wrong," Feliciano choked, coughing to clear his throat before returning his watery gaze to Alfred, "So wrong, Mr. Jones. Why can't you just let us go? Why can't you just--"

"Why can't, why can't, why can't," Alfred groaned, before getting to his feet. Instantly, everyone shifted backwards and away from him, as if afraid he'd lunge out at any one of them.

"Because I like games," Alfred said after a long silence. Cameron took this as his cue to leave and began wheeling the cart out of the room, snickering as he did so. "I've been bored. Rich our whole lives, me and my brother have been. We take turns doing this every year, because we're so _bored_. Money can get us _anything_ we want. But this?"

He spread his arms, gesturing to each one of them in turn, glasses reflecting the bright light above.

"Your actions are unpredictable. I can't tell what you're going to do in such a stressing situation!" Alfred slammed his hand on the table, looking...Giddy. "In a normal situation, it's easily predictable what one would do, but in a panic, your mind is thrown into a frenzy! It's fascinating to watch!"

"We're not guinea pigs in your sick science experiment, aru. You are merely a bored, spoiled rich brat who's bored of jacking off in his silk sheets and takes pleasure in watching others squirm." Yao growled dangerously. Alfred fixed his gaze on Yao, still smiling, and did not speak for a long time.

The room was tense and the air frigid, and Lili kept worrying that Arthur, the only one (guard? Butler? What was he) left in the room would pull his gun and fire at Yao.

Finally, Alfred said,

"It's actually a psychology experiment. And yeah, dudes, you're totally the guinea pigs."

"You're sick," Toris said in what was an almost awed voice, "Very sick."

"Thank you," Alfred dipped his head.

"Can we just shut up and play the game already?" Gilbert suddenly said. All the attention in the room was averted to him, where he stared down furiously at the floor, as if contemplating smashing it pieces. Alfred clapped his hands together giddily, before saying,

"Of course we can! Part two of _Would You Rather_ begins! But first, a little break, for you guys to...Gather yourselves."


	4. Chapter 4

Alfred excused himself from the room when Cameron, Rhys, and Harri returned, and stepped outside while all his guests continued to cry or whatever it is they did these days.

Very interesting so far. Gilbert was not reacting how he normally would to a situation, so the alcohol had probably thrown him off. After all, Alfred had only known him for about six months, and never when he had actually been an alcoholic.

Still, Alfred made a mental note to write this observation down. Even a loud, boisterous personality like Gilbert's could reduced to a moody, unresponsive clod with the help from either alcohol, high stress, or a combination of both.

Interesting.

His room was upstairs on the second floor and behind a locked door, where the only phone in the entire house was. In case any of his guests managed to escape the dining room, since he had instructed them specifically to not bring any cellular devices (since they "interfered with the Wi-Fi signal needed to play the game". Nice one, Mattie.) they would have no way to call for the police or anybody else. The only ones with the key to his bedroom were himself and Arthur.

And speaking of Arthur...

Halfway up the stairs, Alfred turned and tilted his head so he was kissing Arthur. Arthur was startled a bit, before he rested his hand on Alfred's shoulder. They kissed for a couple of seconds, before Alfred drew away, smiling, and said,

"You've got blood on your pants."

"Oh--wait-- _fuck,_ I do?"

"Is that the blood of a dead Hungarian or are you just happy to see me?" Alfred teased.

"Your jokes are atrocious."

"But I made you smile at Veteran's Camp," Alfred reminded him as he continued climbing up the stairs, "I still think you love me."

"Of course I don't," Arthur said smoothly, still glaring disdainfully down at the darkblood that nearly blended in with the dark material of his pants, "I only use our relationship for free sex whenever I want it."

"Whatever you say," Alfred smirked as he walked down the hall, the moonlight glowing through the window giving it dark, creepy shadows that seemed to be reaching out to him, "You love me."

Extracting a key from his pant's pocket, he gave a sigh as he inserted it into the lock, saying,

"I've got a pair of your pants, you can change into that. I need to change myself, this suit is uncomfortable."

"Please don't get blood on your casual clothes again," Arthur sighed as they both entered the room, Alfred flipping on the light to illuminate it, "I don't think Kiku will fall for the 'I had a huge nosebleed' trick again."

"Rhys's fault for not getting all of it out," Alfred remarked with a shrug as he shut the door behind them. The room wasn't decorated that much, either. This house was not the one in which he lived, but only used it for...Special events like this.

There were, however, a few posters on the walls, and the desk was littered with papers, sticky notes, and books. Alfred's suitcase had been carelessly tossed on the large bed, and he set to work unzipping it while Arthur examined the notes on his desk.

"You made a lot of observations this year," Arthur noted as picked up one of the books and checked one of the bookmarked pages, "Sometimes I forget how smart you can actually be."

"Awww, thanks for the compliment, Artie," Alfred grinned, pretending to blush as he extracted his Captain America t-shirt and a pair of jeans, "Uh, you left your clothes in here from last time, they should still be in the closet."

Arthur, however, did not immediately respond as he leafed through one of Alfred's notebooks, an eyebrow raised.

"Well, if there's one thing to be expected, it's that you don't have a particular order to any of these," Arthur laughed before tossing it back on the desk and crossed the room. Alfred approached his desk and scanned his notes for a minute or so, taking it all in.

Getting kicked out of college was the most embarrassing thing that had happened to him in his life. Failure to actually do any of his work had resulted in his expulsion, and he was known as the rich, deceased millionaire's son who couldn't make it far in the world on his own if he tried.

Matthew, even though not as well known as Alfred, was always called 'the smart one' in the family. As far back as Alfred could remember, he'd always been the little troublemaker and Matthew was the student.

Alfred was the dumb one.

Alfred's fist clenched as he remembered that he was not the dumb one. He managed to do this for four years without ever getting caught, without any of the disappearances ever being linked to him. He studied this people, predicted what their actions would be and if they would accept his offer or not.

He knew this year's participants. Natalya appeared cold blooded, but she had a weak spot for those who appeared to be weak or innocent. Lukas was protective of those younger than him, like a big brother. Yao was all talk and no action. Feliciano was dependent on others.

Alfred went through the list mentally, listing things he knew about his participants, his guests. Arthur was still searching for a pair of pants, making frustrated noises every time he opened a drawer that were on the closet's shelves. He listed all he knew.

Linh would do anything to have a chance to keep living. Leon could swing from being humble and noble to arrogant and cowardly. Tereza destroyed herself when stressed. Toris would throw himself under the bus for anyone.

Gilbert would--

Alfred smirked as Gilbert's name arose in his mind. Truth be told, he'd never liked Matthew's new boyfriend. He was arrogant, loud, boisterous, and yet...

He was smart. He was too close to Matthew. One day, eventually, he'd find out what he and Matthew did every year, and Alfred could not have that. So when Alfred heard that Gilbert's brother was suffering a terminal illness, and that brother happened to be the husband of another guest who would be attending, Alfred just _had_ to.

Alfred doubted Feliciano would win, and Gilbert could possibly make it. Speaking of Gilbert...

Alfred picked up the phone that was set on his desk, dialling Matthew's cell, and waiting for his brother to pick up. After a few seconds, Matthew answered with a,

"Hello."

"Mattie, bro," Alfred grinned, leaning against his desk, "So, we've already got two dead."

"I'm going to guess..." Matthew hummed, and judging by the sounds in the background, he was watching a hockey match, "Bella and Yao."

"I wish, I don't want Yao to win."

"You should do something about that, then. Who's actually died, then?"

"Bella and Elizabeta," Alfred confirmed, "You were right, Bella wasn't able to handle more than one."

"Elizabeta? Really? But I thought she'd at least make it to round _four_ ," Matthew's voice sounded skeptical, "Did you shoot her?"

"Technically, Arthur did, but yeah, she was shot. Her anger issues got the best of her," Alfred said with a shrug, absentmindedly looping the phone cord around his finger, "But five thousand says I can make Linh cry, scream, _and_ beg."

"You know I never bet above two fifty."

"Fine, you're no fun. She has screamed once, when we shot Elizabeta. I bet I can make her cry this round."

"I sincerely regret thinking this would be a good bet."

"Hey, you've never studied what it takes to make people squirm, Mr. Medical Degree." Alfred laughed, "Just calling to tell you how things are going."

"Alright, thanks, Al," Matthew said appreciatively, "How's Lili?"

"I can not predict or foresee anything she might do," Alfred sighed, "Because _someone_ told me about her last notice."

"Sorry," Matthew said unapologetically, "Well, good luck."

"Thanks, bro."

Alfred hung up, unwinding the phone cord from his finger.But then there was another guest he was concerned about...

"Who do you think is going to win this year?" Arthur asked as if reading his mind, yanking his pants down to gather at his ankles as he pulled out a pair of pants. Alfred smiled as he crossed the room, giving Arthur a long, drawn-out kiss, before pulling away and responding,

"Lili. Or maybe Linh. _Possibly_ Lukas."

Arthur blinked at him in surprise as he pulled his pants on, confused.

"But...Lili is such a little girl. Linh, maybe, but I'm leaning more towards Lukas or Natalya. Have you _seen_ their records?"

Alfred gave a shrug, before reaching out and stroking Arthur's hair, thinking about his answer, before he said,

"Well, yeah, Lili's a little kid. You've got that right. That gives her an advantage."

"How so?" Arthur quirked an eyebrow, adjusting his tie in the mirror that hung on Alfred's bedroom door.

"You saw how everyone was all like 'she's a little kid' and stuff. They'll probably not harm her, as far as they can go," Alfred said with a shrug as he rested his chin on Arthur's shoulder, "I could be wrong."

"Probably, seeing as you failed Psychology."

"You and Matthew are the only ones I allow to even mention that because I love you so much."

"Save it for your novels, Jones."

The two men exited the room, but not before Alfred checked out Arthur's pants, which hugged his legs in all the right places and gave a low whistle.

"My _man_ ," He smirked, and Arthur turned around and in seconds they were both entwined in one another, kissing. Alfred closed the door behind him as he placed his hands on Arthur's body, one on his elbow and the other on his shoulder, before a voice called,

"Stop snoggin' like horny teenagers and get back here, Cameron is bored and threatening to take the lil' girl!"

"Tell Cameron to step away from the children," Arthur said with a roll of his eyes as they broke apart, and together, they made their way downstairs. Before they could reach the first landing, however, Alfred pulled Arthur aside and whispered him instruction.

"You sure?" Arthur asked, glancing at him. Alfred nodded.

"Yeah," Alfred said, "Do it as soon as you get the chance."

"Should you shorten the time limit? That would make it easier to shoot," Arthur explained. Alfred nodded, and they continued downstairs.

Alfred, however, could not help but feel that he had forgotten something. He did not, however, think about it for very long, because as soon as he stepped inside the room he clapped his hands and shouted,

"Let's begin!"

* * *

 

Lili had been waiting here with the others, who were either still panicking, sobbing, or staring into space with dead looks on her eyes. She was a mixture of one and two, unsure of how exactly to respond to this situation.

She had never been in a situation the reacted in such high levels of stress and panic, and she wasn't sure how to cope with it. Should she scream and give up? Wipe all emotion and wait for an opening?

Threading her fingers through her hair, Lili watched the others silently, trying not to burst into tears. How long had she been here? How long has this gone on? It's felt like years. The only thing keeping Lili from screeching and sobbing and willing to give up was the thought of Bella, whose heart couldn't handle too much and she died too early.

That could happen to Basch if she did not get him a transplant soon. He needed a new heart, and he needed it soon. Who knew how long he could live like this?

The high stress of the situation was making her exhausted, to be perfectly honest. She knew she shouldn't, but Lili felt her eyes slip close, clutching the edges of her seat as if they were a line. She recalled that Basch was telling her off for not wearing sunscreen, but he was still smiling, because he was having a good time.

"Having fun is important," He had told her when they got home, exhausted, but still in a good mood, "But working is important too. We've been working hard. We needed a break."

"It was very fun," Lili had said, hugging him tightly, "Thank you, big brother."

Her cheek was pressed against his chest, and she could feel it. Weak, but fairly steady. They had not been able to walk on the beach much, because Basch became short of breath and extremely sweaty if he walked for longer than fifteen minutes at a time, and they had to go home only two hours after arriving.

But it was still worth it.

Lili opened her eyes as somebody elbowed her in the face, and winced as she did so. Toris gasped, before apologizing quickly.

"I'm sorry," He repeated, "Sorry, sorry, I d-didn't mean to--Really sorry--"

"It's fine," Lili said, before smiling at Toris. He smiled back, weakly, before leaning forward, lowering his voice.

"A word of advice...Please try to avoid the red one."

"Cameron?" Lili asked, her eyes immediately going to the man, whom she realized was watching her intently. Toris looked surprised.

"How do you know that?" He asked curiously.

"I have a really good memory," Lili said with a shrug, "I even remember the house number and the name of the street. I was watching outside the window the entire way here."

Toris opened his mouth to respond, but the door suddenly opened, and in stepped Arthur, wearing, noticeably, a new pair of pants, seeing as they were a dark shade of purple and not the black ones from before. Behind Arthur came Alfred, who was dressed differently, but still looked excited.

"Let's begin!" He shouted, clapping his hands together. Lili felt dread rush back into her as Harri, the shortest of the brothers (at least, she suspected they were brothers--they all shared the same green eyes, thick eyebrows, similar facial structures, and Cameron and Harri's noses were nearly identical) with ginger hair, extracted a strange-looking device from his pocket not unlike pliers.

"For this round of Would You Rather--" Alfred began, but Feliciano interrupted.

"Is Bella dead?" He asked nervously. Alfred gave a shrug, before continuing as if nothing happened.

"--The question is...Would You Rather...Have on of your teeth pulled? Or have three of your fingernails pulled?"

Lili felt as if her body were slowly being drained of all it's blood. She stared at the strange object in Harri's hands as he approached her, smiling. Lili began to stand up, the only thought in her mind being _flee,_ but a pair of hands rested on her shoulders, and she looked up to see the always stoic-faced Rhys forcing her back down in her chair, before pulling two strips of leather from his pocket and tying her wrists to the arms of the dining chair.

Lili struggled as he did so, the panic setting in, kicking her thin little legs out, trying to kick his him away, but when Rhys finished, he backed away and looked towards Harri, who clicked the pliers in his hand, grinning, before asking,

"What will it be, girlie?"

"I--I--," Lili sputtered, and Alfred held up a hand as he said,

"Wait, wait, wait...I forgot to mention. There's a change in the time limit."

Alfred held up his watch, so they could see the number five illuminated brightly.

"Five seconds," he warned, "Five seconds to make your decision. So, Lili. Would You Rather have your tooth extracted or three fingernails pulled out?"

"I, I, I," Lili panicked, and instantly going with the option that sounded less painful; "Fingernails!"

Harri looked almost disappointed, but grinned as he bent over, shielding what he was doing from Lili's eyes. She felt something gently grab her other hand, and turned to see that Toris had slipped his hand into hers, and his eyes were watching what Harri was doing. Lili felt something pinch her fingers, and barely had any time to prepare herself when she felt as if her finger were being ripped off.

It felt like a thousand freezing nails were driving into her finger at once, that the very bones of her finger were being ripped out, and Lili screamed as she clenched Toris's hand tightly, her feet kicking out and hitting the leg of the table. Her heart raced in her chest as she felt a slight pinch in her middle finger, and screamed even louder, even though the pain had not arrived yet.

She pressed her shoulders into the chair behind her, her screaming so loud and raw it felt as if her vocal chords were being shredded apart. She was sure she was leaving bleeding claw marks in Toris's hand, who she felt wincing beside her, but she didn't care.

Harri gave a hysterical laugh as Lili felt the final pinch on her ring finger, and she didn't know if he was laughing at her, or if he were nervous, because it did sound like it. Lili did not have any time, however, to ponder this, as the final fingernail was ripped away from her skin.

It felt as if her entire hand was being dunked in water that was hot it was freezing, as her three fingers burned and twitched with spasms, as she herself gasped for air, unable to properly comprehend the amount of pain her aching hand was in. Her entire arm was on fire. Her hand did not feel like her hand. It felt detached. Sawed off.

Harri held up the three ripped fingernails for her to see, smiling, and saying,

"You're all done now!"

Rhys bent over and untied her hands, and Toris let go of her hand gently, and there were indeed bleeding impressions his knuckles. Lili stared blankly at the bloody, smooth and squishy lumps of flesh that resided where her fingernails had once been. Her ears were ringing. Her heart was racing. Harri had placed the fingernails in his pocket.

Her fingernails were in his pocket.

Her fingernails. They were gone.

Lili turned her head and threw up on the floor.

"Awwww, gross," Lili heard Alfred whine, as she steadily brought her wrist up to her mouth to wipe away the vomit she'd gotten on her chin, "Who's turn is it?"

"Rhys cleaned up Elizabeta's blood," Arthur supplied.

"Right. Cameron, clean it up!"

Scowling, Cameron left the room, presumably to get a mop or a rag. Lili's attention was drawn to Toris when he gave an ear-splitting shriek. He must have made his decision whilst she was upchucking.  Lili caught sight of Harri dropping a bloodied fingernail onto the table in front of Toris, and felt close to throwing up again, even though there was surely nothing left in her stomach now.

Toris didn't scream the second or the third time, but instead bit his lip and emitted a high-pitched whining sound as Harri laughed. Lili continued staring down at her own hands, the numbness ebbing away and the icy pain flowing back. Her fingers felt sore and raw, and were twitching slightly. She couldn't keep them from twitching. 

Harri moved onto Natalya, who said, before Alfred could even start the time,

"Tooth."

Alfred laughed, and Lili gave her a wide-eyed look. Surely, a tooth being pulled would be _much_ more painful than three fingernails? 

Rhys tied Natalya's hands to the chair, and Lili found herself  watching in horror as Harri pried her mouth open, the bloody plier-like object fixing onto one of her molars, and Natalya's eyes squeezing shut as Harri began to visibly strain his arm back, working to pull the tooth out of her gums. Lili unconsciously raised her palm to her lips and pressed it to her mouth, feeling the violent urge to scream and gag and throw up and curl into a ball and sob all at the same time.

She was _here_ , she was _watching this happen_ , she was _playing this game_ , and it had not seemed so real before now. Natalya did not scream, but emitted high-pitched groans every few seconds and Lili wanted to cover her eyes and scream but she did not because she could barely move. Toris was still panting, and everybody else was either focused on Natalia or looking away purposefully. 

With a final successful tug, Harri yanked the tooth from Natalia's gums, and her eyes widened and she gave a screech of pain, hand jumping to her mouth and pressing against her gums, as if hoping to soothe them. Harri proudly showed the tooth around, as if it were a prized piece of gold, before slipping it inside his pocket.

Lili slowly drew her knees up to her chest, curling her entire body onto the cushion of the dining chair as Leon grunted and made odd noises as his fingernails were pulled, and she bit her lip and closed her eyes as Feliciano screamed loudly before, during, and after the loss of _his_ fingernails.

Feliciano had come dangerously close to being shot, or _eliminated_ , as Alfred had said earlier--he had had one second left on Alfred's watch after sputtering, stammering, and crying, before managing to choke out his answer, and out of the corner of her (now open) eyes, Lili saw Arthur's hand slowly drawing away from his waistband. Then Lili had to squeeze them shut again when Feliciano began screaming.

Listening to the beeps of Alfred's watched made her both panicked and soothed, because he timed Harri every time he pulled fingernails (or in Natalya's case, a tooth) and the constant beep, beep, beep, was a reminder of their situation, but the constant, repetitive of it was soothing. It was a known, in the midst of the horrors of the unknown they were all currently trapped in.

Lili opened her eyes, turning her neck a little so she could see Yao, who was nervously biting the edge of his fingernail. Tereza sat next to him, her arms so bloody from the constant scratching (out of nervousness? Habit?) that every time she tried scratching them now, her fingernails just slid across the skin because it was slick with blood. Lili looked down at her hands and felt a little grateful that whilst she had unconsciously left deep marks in her palms from her (remaining) fingernails, they were not bleeding.

"Yao," Alfred's voice said sweetly, as if it were trying to physically caress Yao's form in a tenderly dangerous hold, "Would You Rather have three of you fingernails ripped out or one of your teeth removed from your gums?"

Yao bit the edge of his nail nervously, eyes lost in thought, and Lili counted the beeps in her mind. _Beep. Beep. Beep._

Yao opened his mouth and said, "I--"

But the words never did leave his mouth. On the fourth _beep_ , out of the corner of her eye, Lili saw Arthur rapidly pull his gun from his waistband, point it at Yao from across the room, and fire.

Lili was frozen. Staring. Stunned. There was a dark hole dripping from Yao's forehead, not in the middle but off-center, dark liquid streaming from it and steadily pooling beneath his eyes, dripping down his chin.

And then, his body slumped sideways, and his head landed on Tereza's bloody armed, and she shrieked and leaped to her feet, but Lili did not hear her shriek because her mind was foggy and her ears were ringing and everyone else was screaming.

There had been _one_ beep left.

 _One_ beep left on Alfred's watch.

And yet....

Lili could not throw up again, but she could flinch as everyone started screaming, Leon and Tereza the loudest, and she could hear Alfred laugh and Cameron give an exasperated sigh as he moved towards Yao's body, as if getting fed up with so many dead bodies needing moving.

_One beep left on Alfred's watch._

This had been planned.

Lili turned her head slowly, to stare at him, feeling as if she were being frozen from the inside out, and watched him giggle, and knew this was not a fair game. The strings were being pulled. Perhaps Alfred had a set winner in mind and was going to kill off the people who could hurt this person's chances.

If this were the case...

There was no way Lili would be able to survive.

And for what felt like the millionth time in a time span of many years, Lili cried again.


	5. Chapter Five

She did not cry for long. She did not have any tears left, and her eyes were beginning to dry.

“Cameron’s slackin’,” Alfred sighed as he rose to his feet, looking down disdainfully at Yao’s slumped body, “Still hasn’t cleaned up the vomit. Arthur, take care of the body, please. Rhys, the blood. Cameron, still need to clean up the vomit. Haven’t done that.”

“I ain’t your slave,” Cameron said, but Alfred gave him a knowing smirk and Cameron gave a scoff. The butlers (slaves? Henchmen? What were they???) set to work getting everything done. Arthur bent down and grabbed Yao’s body around the middle, slinging it over his back, before following Rhys out of the room, who had left, apparently, for cleaning supplies. Lili’s eyes turned carefully towards Leon, who was staring blankly at the spot where Yao had once been, tie inserted in mouth and rubbing at his own bloodied fingers. 

Lili felt sorry for him. She did.

But not as sorry as she was beginning to feel for herself, because she was a little girl, and there was no way a little girl would be able to win a game like this without extreme cases of luck, and she’s never really had one of those. 

But then again, this game didn’t require knowledge or athleticism…

Just their ability to handle extreme measures of pain.

_ Whatever physical pain I may endure, _ Lili found herself thinking as she eyed the pliers (or whatever they were) that had been set carelessly down next to Harri,  _ None of it will be more painful than losing Basch. _

It seemed, apparently, that Gilbert was eyeing the pliers too. And Lili registered it too late when his hands suddenly lunged for them, and then everything happened in a flash.

Gilbert leapt to his feet, chair skidding backwards, and lunged at Harri, who had spun around at the noise, and in an instant, everybody else was up too, including Lili.

Lili turned and ducked underneath Natalya’s outstretched arm, raising up her thin arms and shoving Feliciano out of the way as she tore through the door that had been left ajar when the others had exited the room.

All Lili heard were screams when she pounded down the hall, almost tripping over her own dress and skidding down the hallway, frantically searching for any way out. She knew just by looking at the locks that the front doors were inescapable, so Lili rushed upstairs as fast, and yet, as quietly, as she could.

A row of doors were on either side, and the hall seemed to extend on forever. She could hear screams of pain from the room downstairs, as well as Alfred screaming her surname. Lili frantically ran up to each door, trying every handle, only to come close to screaming when none of them budged. Her heart pounded in her ears, and she could almost feel her blood rushing.

If neither of the next two doors budged, she would take her chances and run down the hall. Lili reached for the next doorknob, hand grasping the cold metal, and turned it.

The door opened.

Lili almost fainted from relief, but her panic came flooding back when she heard the stomping footsteps on the stairway and an angry voice.

Lili scrambled quickly into the room, shut the door as quietly as she could manage with her shaking hands, and locked it.

The room was rather bare, but there was a paper-littered desk, queen-sized bed, and a door that lead to the closet. As she heard the footsteps down the hall, she opted to scrambling beneath the bed and hoping they would think to check the closet first, should they come into this room.

Pressing a hand to her mouth to stifle her hurried, panicked breathing, Lili clawed at her chest as if to attempt to stop her own heart, tears pricking the corners of her eyes. The footsteps were farther away, which probably meant that the owner of the footsteps knew that every door was locked.

Or, at least, supposed to be locked.

The tip of Lili’s nose brushed the underside of the bed as she lay as still as she could, listening intently. When she could no longer hear the footsteps, Lili carefully and slowly crawled from beneath the bed, eyeing the windows to the left of the room. She could, possibly, escape from here. Even use the bedsheets to help her get down, if needed.

Her mind was rushing and she was panicking so much she nearly failed to notice the phone set on the desk, but when she did, she once again almost fainted from relief. 

But she had to try the window before she called anybody.

Approaching it, Lili peered down onto the dark ground. The house was on the edge of the woods, and the trees might’ve looked dark and foreboding to anybody else, but right now, to Lili, they were a safe haven. So she placed her hands on the window, fingernails digging into the frame, before attempting to heave it upwards.

The window did not budge.

Not that she had really expected it to, but it still felt terrifying when it didn’t. Taking a deep breath, she tried once again, feeling one of her shoulders pop, before taking a step back from the window, heart pounding.

The phone was her next best bet.

Crossing the room to the phone, Lili picked up the handset and glared down at the numberpad. It was a bit old fashioned, but she didn’t care. 

She should probably call the police.

She needed to call the police.

But…

Instead, she found herself punching in Basch’s number.

If something did happen to her…

He needed to know.

And he could inform the authorities.

It was killing two birds with one stone.

Lili bit her lip as she finished, and held the handset up to her ear, her remaining nails digging into the wood of the desk, paying the scattered papers no mind. Her chest hurt from how hard her heart was pounding. Her fingers ached.

She waited.

And she waited.

But the phone didn’t even ring.

Frowning, Lili put the receiver down, before picking it back up, this time dialling the police. She held the handset up to her ear once again and waited with bated breath, but the phone didn’t ring.

She tried again. And again. And again.

Her breath became faster and her heart pounded harder as she did so, her fingers smearing blood all over the touchpad as she felt her eyes burn, slamming the handset down over and over because the phone had to ring, it _ had _ to work, it was plugged in, it--

“The phone is specially wired so it can only make and receive phone calls to and from one place,” A voice said from behind her.

Lili almost dropped the handset as she did so. Her free hand tightened around the base of the phone, and she turned her head, slowly, feeling as if the floor were leaving her feet. Alfred stood in the doorway, a set of keys in hand, smiling at her. He did not look angry. He looked calm.

This scared Lili even more.

“In case I ever forgot to lock the door, of course,” Alfred grinned with a wave of his hands, taking a few steps into the room.

Lili’s blood turned to ice.

“I was careless. But that won’t happen again.”

Alfred’s eyes glinted.

“I’m not going to hurt you for trying to escape. That’s natural human instinct. Come quietly, now, and I won’t hurt you for this. I won’t touch you for doing this.”

He chose his words carefully, Lili thought to herself.

Just because he promised he himself wouldn’t lay a hand on her, did not mean that he couldn’t tell the others to.

So when Alfred took another step forward, she dropped the handset and twisted around, grabbing the base of the phone and yanking on it so the cord ripped out of the wall, and instantly lunged it at Alfred.

It hit his shoulder and he gave a cry, more out of surprise than anything, and Lili scrambled over the bed to avoid getting in his area of reach and stumbled out into the hallway, nearly screaming as she did so, because Cameron was nearly forty feet down the hall and staring right at her.

Lili turned and pounded down the stairs, praying and hoping that there were more rooms that might be unlocked downstairs, that she could be able to escape, please, leave her, and--

A heavy weight slammed into her back, and she toppled down the six remaining steps, screeching as she did so.

Her elbow slammed onto the marble floor and a shock went through her entire body as she was pinned from behind by someone rather heavy, hot breath on her neck. Lili gave a futile attempt to push him off of her, only for a hand to be placed on the back of her head and to be shoved down, her heart beating rapidly, spit dribbling down her chin.

Something warm and wet ran over the shell of her ear, and Lili felt her entire body freeze.

“Now you’re still,” The voice said, and Lili realized that Cameron was the one pinning her tiny body down.

Lili couldn’t speak, and could only grit her teeth as tears flowed down her face, her fists clenching before rapidly unclenching when her still-sensitive fingers pressed against her palm.

Rough fingers threaded through her short hair before caressing her neck, and Lili realized with a jolt that both of his legs were on either side of her own, so if she tried, she could kick his back…

She didn’t need to, however.

In an instant Cameron was shoved off of her and she was being grabbed roughly by her forearm, and Lili gave a gasp as she was pulled to her feet. Cameron cursed behind her, and she didn’t look back as she was dragged away. A quick glance told her it was Arthur, but Lili didn’t care, for her head was already spinning with ways they could hurt or even kill her for running away.

Feeling sick to her stomach and tripping over her own feet, Lili was pushed into the dining room forcibly, and would have probably thrown up her own intestines when she slid in the puddle of blood on the floor had she not swallowed heavily to stifle her own scream.

Everybody in the room seemed worse for wear.

Tereza was bleeding heavily from a wound in her side that was heavily bandaged with what looked like Lukas’s shirt. Lukas himself was sporting a bloody nose and his own wound in his stomach, eyes half-lidded. Natalya sported a bruising eye and her hands were covered in blood, but they didn’t seem to be his own. Leon’s neck was covered in bloody fingerprints, that didn’t look to be his own, either.

Gilbert was missing.

“I hope none of you think to try this again,” Arthur said lazily as he shoved her into her chair, and she can only stare at the puddle of blood she had almost slipped in near the doorway.

“You two will probably die from those wounds,” Harri said cheerfully to Tereza and Lukas. Tereza looked like she was about to cry. Linh buried her face in her hands.

Alfred entered the room, looking nearly bored as he tossed the pliers in his hand to Harri. The pliers were certainly much bloodier than they had been before.

Lili didn’t want to know what had happened to Gilbert. Feliciano’s blood-spattered, blank face and slack posture told her enough.

Harri approached Tereza with a gleeful look in his eye that only brightened when she flinched away from the blood-drenched tool.

“Well, miss Tereza,” Alfred drawled as he slid down into his seat, fixing his gaze down at his watch, “Would You Rather--”

“F-fingernails,” Tereza sputtered, and Rhys strapped her down while Harri examined the blood on the pliers, rubbing at it absently with his sleeve. When Tereza’s arms were pinned down, Harri leaned over and proceeded to tear her fingernails from her flesh.

This process was repeated twice more with Lukas and Linh, both who gave their answers before Alfred could even finish asking, which Lili understood. She wouldn’t let that thing in her mouth.

Lili herself was curled up tightly in her chair, gripping her arms tightly and trying not to stare at what Harri was doing and failing to do so.When he reached Linh, she couldn’t watch anymore and turned her face away, only to meet Toris’s gaze.

“You scared?” He asked in a whisper, and Lili did not shake or or nod her head, but her eyes must have answered for her, because Toris himself nodded and turned his gaze away from her face to stare vacantly at Harri’s back.

“You have a good memory, right?”

“Yes.” Lili answered.

“You live in the area, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Should I die...Would you please give some money to Feliks?”

Lili probably would’ve felt shocked at Toris asking her this before, but now she just felt numb.

“Okay,” she said.

“I’m going to tell you his phone number.”

“Okay.”

Toris told her Feliks’s phone number. Lili repeated it back. Toris corrected her. Lili repeated it again, but this time she did so perfectly.

Lili told him Basch’s number as Linh cried out. Toris had to be corrected three times.

“You’re both stupid,” Natalya suddenly said, and Lili’s eyes flickered over to her pale face before realizing that there were tear tracks glittering down the older woman’s cheeks.

“Okay,” Was all Lili said.

In her mind, she went over Feliks’s number, and thought to herself, if she did win, and Toris had to die for this, she hoped Feliks was worth it.

With this in mind, Lili’s gaze traveled towards Lukas as he grunted in pain, his fingernails placed on the table behind Harri. When he finished, he scooped them up into his pocket, as well as the pliers, before smiling towards Cameron, who had entered the room without Lili noticing, carrying something in his hand.

“The icepick!” He cheered when he saw the item, before rounding on Rhys, “You got the nails, right?”

Rhys silently extracted two very long, rusted nails from his pocket. Lili heard Feliciano whimper. The numbness that had filled Lili was slowly replaced with dreading anticipation, her mind feeling tired of everything already. She wanted to go home. She wanted to be done.

She had to save Basch.

But she wanted to go home.

Lili didn’t cry. But she did shiver when the icepick and the rusty nails were placed in front of her, Alfred’s voice saying,

“Would You Rather choose the icepick, or the nails?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's a short chapter i know i'm sorry but there have been a few conflicts writing this
> 
> mainly rEWRITING 90% OF THE REMAINING CHAPTERS
> 
> so yes please enjoy this or i will cry
> 
> you can't make a child cry
> 
> it's against the law

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, the concept is based off the horror movie, Would You Rather, which scarred me for life.
> 
> I've actually written this entire thing since watching it, but I won't post the chapters all at once. 
> 
> Written this because I haven't ACTUALLY ever written horror.
> 
> Reviews appreciated for a first-time genre!


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